Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Sold: The App That Makes Online Selling Really, Really, Really Easy

We all have items that we no longer want or need. Stuff that we've only used a few times and other people will still find useful. Fortunately, it's easy to find new homes for our things these days, with sites such as eBay and Craigslist. But if you're too lazy or busy to sell your stuff online, there's now an app for that. Enter Sold, which sells your things for you. From pricing your items to finding a buyer to getting you paid, Sold takes care of pretty much everything.

Founded by Matthew Blackshaw, David Lakatos, and Tony DeVincenzi, Sold launched on iOS in April and recently arrived on Android. The co-founders believe that trying to outdo established e-commerce sites wouldn't add value to the marketplace. Instead, they decided to focus on simplifying the online selling process.

So how does Sold work? Post an item (for free) and Sold's pricing engine will generate “the perfect price” right away or within a day. There are no shipping costs or extra fees, and once you accept the price, the Sold team will start looking for a buyer. According to the startup, selling an item can take up to a few days, but really popular items can be sold in an hour.

Once you sell your item, Sold will send you a free, pre-paid, pre-insured, and tracked box filled with bubble wrap. Pack up your item, schedule a pickup or drop it off, then get paid via bank transfer or mail.

Sold says it currently has over 2,000 unique products in its marketplace. The average purchase price of items is about $260, and the most expensive item it has sold so far was an $8,000 watch. Sold focuses on “things of value” such as electronics (tablets, smartphones, laptops, cameras, headphones) and accessories (sunglasses, handbags, watches, shoes).